The Integrated Authority File became operational in April 2012 and integrates the content of the following authority files which have since been discontinued:
- Name Authority File (German:Personennamendatei; PND)
- Corporate Bodies Authority File (German:Gemeinsame Körperschaftsdatei; GKD)
- Subject Headings Authority File (German:Schlagwortnormdatei; SWD)
- Uniform Title File of the Deutsches Musikarchiv (German:Einheitssachtitel-Datei des Deutschen Musikarchivs; DMA-EST)
At the time of its introduction (“GND-Grundbestand” from 5 April 2012), the GND holds 9,493,860 files, including 2,650,000 personalized names.
